Lucy and Her Failing Protector
by KawaiiMavis
Summary: Lucy and Natsu have been friends since a very young age. Now it's senior year, and things are changing especially with the new boy who's come to town. Deals are made, secrets come to light. Will Nalu survive their way out of this one? Read to find out!
1. The Story Begins

**Hey guys new story! Its an AU and its from both Natsu and Lucy's P.O.V please review me honestly with advice or with any ideas you want me to write because this story came to me from a fan as well! I do no own the right to Fairy Tail it is most definitely not mine. Please enjoy and review!**

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Natsu's P.O.V

Lucy and I had been friends since we were 6 years old. I still remember the day she moved next door, how excited I was to finally have a friend to hang with, thinking it was a boy because I was unaware the new neighbor was a girl. I had asked my old man, Igneel, if I could go over and play. He looked at me with a curious smile, soft eyes, and said "Alright son you can go, but just because be careful. The Heartfilia's are kind, but powerful people. If anything were to happen to their only child it wouldn't exactly go good for us, and I know how mischievous you can be." I mean, I've only broken a couple windows in my life but thats it. Baseballs are hard you know?

At the time I didn't understand why my dad was scared of Jude Heartfilia, but as I grew older I understood. My dad was just a firefighter, and Mr. Heartfilia was the owner of many companies and businesses. He had friends in high places and to be his enemy, would be a horrible mistake.

Anyway, I remember my young self going through their front yard and up to the giant wooden door. I couldn't contain my joy knowing I finally had a friend to play baseball, trade cards, and talk about girls with. Well, you wouldn't believe my surprise when I rang the doorbell and saw a very pretty girl with a pair of twinkling, brown, bright eyes, and a head full of long blonde hair staring at me through a crack in the door. I may have been young, but that was the first time I thought a girl was beautiful and I felt my heart skip and then start beating really fast. Of course I didn't know what it meant, but to this day I remember I felt something.

I've always believed Lucy was my best friend, (even though I didn't choose to be at first) and we did everything together. We didn't get to play baseball, or trade cards. Instead, she taught me about all the Disney Princesses, we played dress up, and that was okay. One warm and sunny day, I remember convincing her that I could teach her how to ride her bike, and so that's what we did. As she was finally starting to get the hang of it, a giant truck came roaring down the street and didn't see her. I remember thinking to myself 'this guy's not going to stop, he's going to hit her, and Mr. Heartfilia is going to kill my dad'. It only happened in a matter of seconds, but I ran after her and pushed her out of the way. I pulled my legs in towards me fast, the car zoomed past us, and I laid there staring up at the sky, thinking I was dead. That is, until Lucy came running towards me, tears streaming down her face asking if I was alright. And I was alright, because as long as she was okay, I didn't care what happened to me. That was 7 years ago. Now, we're seniors. Today, is our first day back to school from spring break, and I can't wait to get through the rest of this year with Lucy by my side.

(Present Day)

Lucy's P.O.V

I was awoken by Levy's singing as she did her hair, something about Gajeel being really cute.

"Levy, I love that I moved in with you really, but I don't think I can handle one more song about your boyfriend anymore!" I giggled then threw my pillow at her.

When I was in 6th grade, my mother passed away. My father became insufferable and I just had to get out of that house! So, I moved in with my best friend Levy, who coincidentally happened to live across the the street from me and 2 houses down, so i was still pretty close to my most bestest and dearest friend: Natsu Dragneel. We've been friends since we were 6 years old, and he has always been there for me. He really cares about me and always wants to see me be safe, he's almost like my protector. I never feel alone knowing I have him with me, he makes me feel cared for, and he makes sure I'm always happy. Well, today was the first day back to school and it was time for a new Lucy. A girl who can fend for herself, be independent, and not need to hang around Natsu all the time. The main reason for all this change was because of the girl he liked, Lisanna. She was beautiful, always kind, and had the most amazing smile. Natsu really liked her I could tell, and when he first told me, I swear my heart gave out a sharp pain. I always thought it would be him andI forever. I recently figured out I had this pretty huge crush on him, but it was obvious he only saw me as his best friend. So, I didn't want to be annoying to him or anything by always being at his side, plus I was trying to outgrow my crush. He is amazing after all. This is where my plan for independence and maturity began.

"Lu-chan! Come on let's get going, we don't want to be late!" And just like that, I changed as fast as I could, and got my stuff ready to go. We stopped 2 houses down and picked up an excited, grinning Natsu, and we were off to school.

Natsu, Levy, and I walked in and everyone waved hello. As we strutted down the hallway, more of our friends joined us in conversation and laughs. Gajeel came to whisk Levy away (typical love birds), Erza came by my side and asked if I had her vote for student body president (of course), and Gray walked by Natsu as he asked for advice on how to ask Juvia out (which shouldn't be a problem because she would say yes no matter how he asked.) The bell rang, and Natsu, Gray and I headed to our first period class. Natsu sat in front of me, with Gray at his side, and I took an empty seat behind them.

"Lucy, how do you think I should ask Juvia?" asked Gray with a sort of scared look in his eye.

"Umm, I honestly believe she would say yes regardless of how you asked her, Gray. So just do it already, because that's all she really wants. If you haven't noticed she's crazy about you by now, we have other problems." I was content with my reply to him, since it put a smirk on his face and he turned back around.

"Hey Luce," whispered Natsu as I began to daze off, "thanks for finally convincing lover boy over here that everything is going to be fine, he has been so annoying. I was wondering, I kinda need help with the whole Lisanna situation and seeing as you've gotten so good at advice, could you help me out? We could meet up for lunch!"

I nodded, he thanked me, turned around, and I sighed. Meet up for lunch? Of course! But to talk about advice on how to get Lisanna to like him? Not so much. It wasn't ideal for me to give advice to the guy I loved on the girl he loved. Ugh.. I sunk my head down on my desk and closed my eyes.

At that moment, the teacher came in and introduced a new student. As we all looked toward the entryway, a blonde, tall, and muscular boy walked through the door. He was wearing a black V-neck and blue jeans. I didn't want to admit it right then but boy was he cute. I saw Natsu shift in his seat, and I knew why. The new guy was Sting Eucliffe, Natsu's neighborhood rival when we were little. As kids, Sting would beat Natsu at everything they did. Soccer, baseball, flag football, you name it, Sting could do it a little better. One time I accidently kicked a soccer ball too hard and I hit him on the head. He ran up to me, shoved me, and as he was getting ready to hit me, Natsu came and tackled him to the ground. I was able to run back home to get Natsu's dad but by then it was too late and he had already given Natsu a black eye. Soon after, Sting moved away and we never saw him again until now.

"Mister Eucliffe, go ahead and take a seat next to Miss Heartfilia for the time being."

As our teacher kept on talking about what to expect this year, Sting took a seat next to me. My heart was beating kind of fast and I could feel his eyes look me up and down.

"Heartfilia right? Lucy Heartfilia? By the way you're giving me the evil eye, I can tell you obviously remember me. You're looking good by the way, definitely filled out that body well." He winked at me, then looked back and paid attention to our teacher. I was about to reply with a smart and childish remark but then I remembered my whole plan for the year. I was on a mission, to become a better, stronger, more mature Lucy. And if that meant, being a little playful instead of calling him names like a 5 year old, then that's okay. I laughed under my breath a little, and he turned his head giving me a bored, questioning look with soft eyes.

"I guess… You're right. I have filled out pretty well haven't I?"

I smiled my most playful smile and then I was the one who turned away, while he was left wondering what to say next. I could see from the corner of my eye that he was smirking as he put his head down on the desk, focusing his attention on our teacher again. But holy spirits was I blushing as soon as I turned the other way! Never in my life had I ever flirted with anyone before! As I looked back towards the front trying not to die of embarrassment, I noticed Natsu was sitting straight up, almost leaning back as if…huh… as if he was he trying to listen in on my conversation with Sting?

As soon as the bell rang and class was over, I walked out of the classroom behind Natsu. I swore I heard Sting calling my name as we walked out, so I began to turn around. Natsu quickly wrapped his arm around my waist forcing me to look forward and said, "It was nothing, keep moving. You don't want to be late to gym."

Although I was still a little shaken up by the way Natsu handled me, heart racing and palms sweating, I got into the locker room, and I began my daily gossip with Erza, Levy, Bisca, and our new freshman friend, Wendy. Everything was going great until I felt my gym bag vibrate and I discovered it was a text from Natsu.

"Hey I still wanna talk at lunch. Meet outside by the north fountain, don't be late."

Never, in our whole friendship had I received a text like that from him. He was usually more goofy and playful. Scared for what awaited me later, I put my phone back where it belonged, and headed towards the field.


	2. The new Boy Causes Problems

Natu's P.O.V

Gray and I walked to chemistry in complete silence. We took our seats, and I rested my head on my desk while Gray chatted up Juvia. I sighed thinking about everything that happened and the day just barely started… It was bad enough Sting was here, he didn't have to go hitting on my best friend. My heart began to beat fast and I couldn't sit still. Why does having him around Lucy make me so nervous like this? I've always been Lucy's protector, and that's mostly because of my fear of her father kicking my ass, but also because I care about her. When it comes to guys, she's oblivious! Luce has never had a boyfriend before, and since when does she know how to flirt? That's what caught me really off guard. How come she's never been that way with me? Ugh, what am I saying! Lucy is my best friend and I need to get it together and stop thinking about her this way.

"Natsu! Hi!" I turned around to see a beautiful Lisanna heading my way. She made all my worries disappear as she came closer and took a seat on my desk. I loved her short hair and oh man don't even get me started with her brown eye- CRAP! Lisanna didn't have brown eyes… Lucy did.

"Uh, So Lisanna what's up?" I tried to contain the stutter in my voice. After all, I am talking to the prettiest girl at school.

"Well I was thinking… You're really good at math, and I'm really just awful at it so is there any way you could please, please help me during lunch? I need someone to go over my math homework with me before I turn it in later today." She looked at me with those deep blue eyes. I couldn't help but let my own eyes wander to her chest, and my first thought had to be that they weren't as big as Lucy's. Gah! What did she need again? Oh yeah, help with her math but, I promised Lucy I'd meet up with her too. What am I saying?! This is Lisanna how could I resist? Luce would understand.

"Sure thing! Meet you in the library?" I said and gave her a nod.

"Yeah! Okay I gotta go now, but thanks Natsu, it means a bunch!"

She smiled that shiny, bright smile and skipped away. Holy dragons was she gorgeous.

Lucy's P.O.V

Gym was over, and lunch began. I got dressed, grabbed my lunch, walked towards the fountain and sat down at a table. I couldn't help but think about how nice it was outside. Natsu and I always have lunch together on Mondays, he's always there for me even when he has his own things to do. I guess I shouldn't rely on him all the time, he has his own life to live. Well, whatever. I began to get ready to eat when I got a text from Natsu:

"Can't make lunch I'm sorry Luce. Lisanna needed help with something, she needed me, isn't that great?! Make it up to you I promise we can watch The Lion King at your place later!"

I sighed loudly, opened my bento box and stared down at my food. He likes Lisanna so it's only understandable that he be happy that she needed him right? Sigh….

"Hey Blondie, you're supposed to eat your food not stare at it."

Oh no, not this fool again. Sting headed over my way, and to be honest, when the sunlight hit him, he was pretty cute. And those muscles…

OKAY, NO LUCY. CHILL.

"I don't know who you're calling blondie when you are just as blonde as I am!" I replied back.

Remembering my new mission to be more "mature", I decided to take a deep breath and invited him to sit with me. He then looked at me reluctantly, but sat down anyway. Man, this was awkward. He took a bite of his apple and looked at me with his usual bored stare. Ugh this guy was so annoying, acting like he's so cool all the time.

"So Blondie, where's that frilly, pink-headed, boyfriend of yours today? No offense but he's fucking annoying."

I met his eyes and replied as calmly as I could, "We don't always sit together, and he's not my boyfriend. We're just friends. By the way, my name is Lucy, not blondie just so you know."

"Oh not your boyfriend huh? That's interesting. And I do know what your name is, how could I ever forget anyone as beautiful as you?" he said with a wink then turned to look forward and took another crunchy bite of his apple. I was trying so hard not to blush right now. He was the very first guy to ever call me beautiful besides my father and even then that was a long time ago. He's probably just messing with you Lucy, get it together!

"Don't be getting all shy on me now, Blondie. Tell me more about yourself, you seem pretty interesting without that annoying jerk around you all the time." And this time when he said it, he had an actual spark in his eye like he was willing to listen. Maybe he wasn't as bad as he seemed to be. He made my palms sweaty and my heart beat race by the way he looked at me. It was nerve wracking and scary but also kind of nice

As lunch continued on, we talked more and more about each other. I told him about all my favorite movies, my dreams, and all my friends. In return, he told me about all the girls he's dated and hasn't dated, about his favorite cars to drive, and how he had a redish brown cat named Lector. Time flew by us and the bell rang, letting us know it was time to go off to class, but there was one thing in particular I was dying to know.

"Sting, if you don't mind me asking, why did you move when we were younger, and why did you move back?"

He looked away from me for a second then looked back. "Well I-"

"Hey Luce!"

I turned to see a not so happy Natsu walking towards us.

Natsu's POV

"Natsu, thank you for helping me with my math. See you tomorrow?"

Lisanna gave me her signature smile then walked away. I didn't care if her question was what is two plus two, I'd answer it a million times if she would keep smiling at me. Oh yeah the bell rang! Better walk Lucy to class, just one of our many Monday traditions.

I left the library and headed to the courtyard next to the fountain where I know she'd be eating. Man I felt horrible for leaving her like that earlier but she knew how much I liked Lisanna so she should be cool. I turned at the corridor and started walking towards the fountain I could see Lucy, and as soon as I heard her laughing I knew she was probably hanging out with Levy. A smile began to spread across my face hearing her laugh… there was always something about it. I started to pick up my pace and walk faster until I realized who was next to her.

"Hey Luce!" I said trying not to sound to upset. Why was he sitting with her and why was she laughing? Shit. That asshole has nothing special to say, he's always been a jerk to both me and Lucy. She turned around and saw me walking toward her, and she had a kind of annoyed look on her face. What the hell was that for?

"Natsu, Hi. I was just talking to Sting, you know, catching up." She looked at him and smiled, and he smiled right back. I do not like where this is going.

"Oh really? That's cool. So Sting, what's new with you?" I replied sounding as sarcastic as I possibly could. A smirk grew on his face as he looked back at me and spoke up.

"Sorry salmon head, three's a crowd," he then looked at Lucy and gave her a nod,

"I'll see you later, Lucy."

As he walked away, I pulled Lucy around the waist, and turned her around.

"Come on you're going to be late to your clubs class and Erza will kill you," I said with a mutter.

We kept walking until we were just down the hall from her classroom.

"Hey, Natsu! Ow, you're hurting me could you lighten up a bit please? What is your deal?!"

I quickly let her go, cross my arms, lean against the wall, and look down.

"Look Luce, I know you don't have too much experience with guys so I'm saying this to warn you. You and I both know, that Sting isn't a good guy. Do you not remember everything he did to us when we were younger? We've hated him ever since. Here he comes out of nowhere with his stuck up and cocky attitude of his and you just fall right into his trap. I don't want to be the mean guy but don't get your hopes too high, Lucy. I mean, you've never had a guy interested in you before."

I could see her wince, and I realized my words hurt her. I sighed.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to be so harsh, I'm just looking after you. I always protect you, you know that right?"

I give her a half smile, but she wouldn't look up at me. I can see her getting angrier and angrier by the second and she's getting shaken up. Dammit Natsu, you're not going to hear the end of this one! As I prepared myself to get the yelling of a life time, I see her stand up straight, turn away from me, and watch her run into her classroom. What the hell? What just happened? The Lucy I know would have yelled at me and called me names until she couldn't hold it in anymore and started crying. She would cry, and I would feel bad, then pull her into a hug until she calmed down. But to see her walk away like that from me… My chest hurt and I felt like the worst person in all of Magnolia.

"Luce…" I turned around, held my head down low, and slowly walked to class. Why can't you just see I want whats best for you? I have enough to deal with, I mean all I want is to spend time with Lisanna but how can I when I have to be worried about Sting being all over you all the time?

Lucy's P.O.V

As soon I made my way inside the classroom, I took a seat next to Levy. I sighed loudly, closed my eyes, and then put my head on my desk. Hearing him confirm my worst nightmare made me want to burst into tears. He basically said that not only was I unattractive, but I was unattractive to him. I grunted while softly hitting my head against the desk.

"Uhm… Lu-chan? Are you okay?"

Levy had a concerned and caring look on her face. She always knew something was wrong and that's why, next to Natsu, she was my best friend. Since our teacher decided a movie on the first day back to class would be fun, we talked the whole time. I told her about Natsu, Lisanna, and Sting, and then I explained what happened during lunch and what Natsu had said to me.

"I can't believe he said that to you! Lucy, I'm sorry I know how much you like him. That stupid asshole! But what I really want to know is, how do you feel about Sting?" she questioned with a sly smile.

"Well I…" I was trying really hard to say he was irrelevant, that he didn't matter, but the truth is, today he made me feel wanted and attractive. Like after all this time, I finally caught a boy's interest. It may have not been Natsu's, but who was I kidding? Natsu would never look at me like that. He has been in love with Lisanna since freshman year and at the rate things are going they'll be together in no time. Then… I'd be alone.

"Look Levy, I can't say for sure that I like him but he did make me feel kinda special today and I've never felt that way before. Plus, I've loved Natsu for as long as I remember. He's always there for me and makes me laugh. He knows almost everything about me, it's not going to be easy to forget what I feel for him. But at least I'm actively trying to outgrow this stupid crush."

Levy smiled at me then gave me a thumbs up. We watched the remaining 5 minutes of the movie before the bell rang, then got up to leave for the day. We met up with Erza, Wendy, and Cana one last time before heading home. There was nothing more fun than being with my girls. I would say id miss them once senior year was over but that's not exactly true.

My mind drifted away at the thoughts of summer break and how we'd all being going to college together, even Natsu! We all applied to a community college here in town so we could be together. It's great knowing I never have to be apart from everyone. Even Levy wanted to stick around but, of course, she joined the honors program. So even though she'd be staying here with us she still needs her challenge. Levy honked her horn as she pulled up to the curb, signaling me it was time to go home. Finally.

Once we were in the drive way of our house, I ran straight inside where I crawled into my pj's and began my homework.

"Lu-chan, I'm going over to Gajeel's tonight. He apparently failed his English pretest so I'm going over to help him. It could take a while seeing as he's not the brightest," Levy giggled happily, "So it might be an all-nighter. I'll see you tomorrow at school!"

"Make good choices!" I shouted as she left my room.

"Shuuut upp!" She shouted back at me. I heard her run down the stairs, start the car, and then drive away.

The great thing about Levy was she knew when I didn't want to talk, and she still loved me and respected me for it. As I tried to focus on the work ahead of me, my eyes couldn't help but wander to the picture on my dresser where a 10 year old Natsu and I were dressed up for Halloween. He was a dragon and I a princess. That day, I remember thinking: "What if the princess loved the dragon instead of the prince?"


	3. The Boy and His Father

Natsu's P.O.V

When I got home that afternoon, and I found my dad sitting at the round wooden table in our kitchen counting bills. He was stressed, I could see it. But not as bad as he used to be. Thanks to Lucy's dad, he has a stable job and he can take care of us. I grabbed a soda from the fridge and took a seat across from him.

"Hey pops, how's it going?"

"Oh same old same old I guess. How was school? Still chasing after Lisanna? Don't you think it's time you put the moves on her already?"

I have told my dad everything for as long as I can remember. He knew when I was sad, upset, happy, even bored. I don't remember much about my mom, but from what I hear, she was amazing. We don't talk about her though, I can see thinking about her breaks my dads heart. At least we had each other and that's all that mattered. I let out a chuckle at his questioning about the girl I liked. If there was one thing I loved I would have to say it's when my dad and I talk about girls. He always knows what to say.

"Well it's going okay. She asked me to help today with her math so we had lunch together. Dad, she is so beautiful you should see her. She has the shiniest blonde hair and I have never met another girl with such deep brown eyes. She's great." I smiled at him and he looked up from his bills and gave me a questioning and sly look.

"I thought Lisanna had platinum hair and blue eyes?" My dad had a smirk on his face then looked back at what he was doing. Fuck. Did I actually just say that? Why is she always popping into my head? I laid my head down on the table trying to puzzle this out.

"Speaking of Lucy, how is she doing now a days?" I knew what he was trying to do. He wanted me to explain what was up with the whole mix-up. Hell, I didn't even know!

"Dad, I don't know what's happening. It's like ever since senior year started she just stands out to me more. And now that we only have a couple of months left in the school year, it just gets worse! I notice things about her I didn't before like when did her- her everything get so big, why are guys always staring at her whenever we go out, why is she so pretty all of a sudden, why can't I get her out of my head?!"

After I let all that out, I felt exhausted and laid my head back down. Being honest was hard work. I expected my dad to have a surprised look on his face but instead his smile just grew bigger.

"You know, Natsu, did it ever occur to you that maybe you've grown feelings for her? You guys have been friends since you were kids. She really has grown into quite the beautiful young lady."

"Dad, please! You know the only reason I'm friends with her is because it benefits us. You said that the first day we started hanging out. Her dad just needs someone to protect his little girl and that's what i've been doing! How could I possibly feel something for her? I have never seen her like that before I mean she's Lucy for crying out loud!"

I was confused, and didn't understand why I was feeling all these emotions. I've loved Lisanna for such a long time and never thought about Lucy in this way. It's not like she was ugly I was just never interested. When I think of Lucy I think cooties but now a days, I feel myself being pulled towards her. I can't explain why, but my heart beats faster yet slower everytime I'm with her and she knows how stupid I can be sometimes yet she still chooses to be my friend and listen to what I say. Her laugh, her smile, her eyes, all pulling me towards her. Closer, and closer, every single damn day.

"Son, I said that in the beginning because you didn't know her yet. It's true, though, that because of Lucy we're living a good life. Even though she doesn't know about that day when her dad came asking me to have you protect her all time in exchange for a job, wouldn't you say she's one of your best friends? Can you honestly say you don't care for her?" He looked at me carefully and I felt my heart twinge.

I thought about this. He was right, she was one of my best friends. She never leaves my side, and when she does I feel disoriented. I couldn't imagine my life without her, but how can I have my own family some day with her hanging around me all the time? It'll feel hard to find someone to settle down with like that.

"Maybe I just feel this way because ever since Sting came back, he's all over her. Like I just want to spend time with Lisanna but it's hard when I'm taking care of Lucy all the time!"

My dad got a grim look on his face, and he looked at me. I could tell what he was about to say, was not going to be good.

"Natsu, you are not to let Sting hurt Lucy do you understand? Don't let him get close to her at all. I know it's hard to try to be your own person with your own love life in mind but remember the deal with Jude Heartfilia."

I got up a little annoyed about this whole thing. Lucy's my friend, yeah, but I shouldn't have to sacrifice me spending time with Lisanna just because she needs a baby sitter. I liked Lucy, she was my bestest friend but really it was time for her to grow up and kind of distance herself from me. I packed up my clothes, grabbed a movie from our DVD holder, and headed towards the door.

"Where are you headed boy? It's late!"

"I promised Lucy I would watch a movie with her. Be back tomorrow, see you then." I grumbled and walked out into the chilly night.

Normal P.O.V

The doorbell rang, and Lucy went down stairs lazily. 'It's probably just Levy,' she thought.

"Hey Levy, did you forget some-….….. Natsu?" She looked up to see a smiling pink haired boy with The Lion King in one hand, and his overnight bag in the other.

"Come on Luce, don't tell me you forgot I was coming over… I promised remember? Don't I always keep my promises to you? This is your favorite movie after all… Plus I'm sorry for everything that happened earlier so I thought hey, sleepover at your house!"

She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't ecstatic to see him there. It was just the thing to turn her mood around. She loved it when he slept over, they always had the best time together.

"Haha, of course not! Let's go upstairs, oh my gosh you are going to love the new blanket I bought today, remember when we went shopping the other day and I loved it so much I just had to ge-" Lucy grabbed his hand, and pulled him up the stairs. His heart skipped, and he felt nervous all of a sudden. He listened to Lucy rant on and on as they entered her room and set up the movie. Of course he remembered the comforter she had wanted, he saw her eyes light up that day and she had gotten all giddy. She said she wanted it because it reminded her of her favorite color, and his hair. He knew everything about her, but how could he not? He's been with her most his life and he always had to protect her. It's funny to think that at first, the only reason he hung out with her was because his dad told him too.

(Flashback)

"Natsu, since you and the Heartfilia's daughter hit it off so great at today's playdate, it would probably be best if you became her friend… kinda like her protector. See, having her family as a friend benefits us, but having them as an enemy would leave us in ruins. If something happened to their little girl, it would be bad news. Having you become her friend and taking care of her could really help us out, son."

"But dad, she's a girl! I don't want to watch Disney movies all day, or play with her stupid dolls. I want to hang out with Gray and the guys!"

"Her dad promised to find me a better job. But in return, all he needs is someone to look after his daughter while she's out playing and at school. We need it now more than ever so please, will you do this for me son?"

He remembered nodding at his father, and going upstairs to wash the cooties off himself. He let out a soft chuckle and made himself comfortable on Lucy's bed as the thoughts disappeared back into his memory.

"Hey, what's so funny?" said Lucy as she climbed into bed with a suspicious smile. He waved his hand signaling that it was nothing, and she contently got under her new blanket, and leaned her head on his shoulder. She didn't think too much of this since this is how it's always been since they were little, but her heart skipped a beat and it gave her goose bumps. It made her nervous being so close to him, even though they'd been doing this since they were little. But she pushed back her feelings and enjoyed her favorite movie. Natsu, on the other hand, was having some issues of his own. His eyes kept drifting down towards her shirt. He'd never noticed how revealing her clothes were before until now. She was wearing a low cut shirt and pink frilly shorts. When did she grow up and fill out so well? He needed to stop himself before he took over by extinct. He ignored his thoughts, let his eyes close and his mind drift letting the hours pass by.

As the movie came to an end, Natsu snapped out of his dreamy state and realized Lucy had fallen asleep on his shoulder. She's done this every year for the past 7 years. She insists on watching The Lion King yet falls asleep before the ending. As a child, he hated being used as her pillow more than anything. Damn cooties.

He sighed loudly, turned off the TV and then gently moved Lucy's head down onto her pillow. He then laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling in the darkness. He felt the groggy girl next to him nudge his arm, so he lifted it up and she moved underneath it and snuggled in closer to him. He felt his blood roaring in his ears as he rested his hand on her shoulder. He didn't know why he was feeling this way about her but it needed to stop… it needed to stop… It needed to stop….

He didn't want it to stop.

"Natsu…" whispered a sleepy Lucy in the darkness as she got closer to him.

Natsu gulped, "Yeah Luce?" His voice shaky, yet quiet.

"Promise to be my friend forever… I don't want you to leave me, you mean a lot to me..." It came out so softly and sincere, Natsu wanted nothing more than to pull her in and hug her that second. He tried to ignore it at times, but he knew she was the one always there for him. She always cared for him.

"I promise. Whatever you want, Lucy." He gave her hand a little squeeze, but didn't let go. He didn't know why, but he was not going to let go. With his other hand, he tried to reach and caress her face but he was scared she would wake up. He just wanted to touch her though... it relaxed him.

She was content with his answer, so she turned around and fell asleep. He too fell asleep, knowing she was safe, sound, and right by his side.


	4. The Almost Kiss

Lucy's P.O.V

The warm, shiny, sun began to leak in through the cracks in my curtain. I tried to stretch but found myself in a bit of a predicament. Natsu was curled up against me and his arm wrapped around my waist. My heart began pounding and I couldn't hear anything else except my own pulse. It's okay Lucy… he didn't mean to fall asleep on you like this… right?! I tried to shift from underneath him, but he was holding on to me tightly. His arms held me tighter and I felt the blood roar to my ears. What would he say if he woke up and found us like this?

"Lu-uce… stop moving I'm trying to sleep…" The way he said my name made my heart drop and I got all shaky. It was so hard to get rid of this crush when he did things like this. But that's all it is I mean it's just a crush… I think. I poked at his cheek, until he finally rolled over with a pillow over his face. He was so cute, I didn't want to wake him but it was time for us to get up.

"Natsu, even though seniors don't have to go in until later today, Erza invited all of us to go to the opening of Jellal's family's new coffee shop in town. You should have seen her face talking about him, she's really excited for him. Get ready, I'll make breakfast then we can head over and meet everyone else."

I got ready quickly deciding I should probably dress pretty nice considering this was an opening and all. It only took me 30 minutes to shower and get dressed, so I went down stairs to get Natsu's eggs and pancakes ready (dragon shaped of course. He has always been obsessed with them.) As I was cooking, my mind drifted to this morning. Waking up in his arms the way I did… I… I loved every minute of it. He was warm, smelled nice, and I liked the way his muscles wrapped around me while I slept. I couldn't keep it in anymore, it was too much for me to bare. This whole time I've been trying to distance myself but I didn't want that anymore. I wanted him to see me the same way he saw Lisanna: beautiful, smart, funny, just plain amazing. I mean i know everything about him and she knows nothing! I know that he loves his Dad and friends more than anything on this planet. He always stands up for what he believes is right, and he is incredibly smart. He is courageous and brave yet sweet and caring. I didn't even care if his hair was pink and we couldn't explain why, he was the most amazing guy I have ever laid eyes on. Huh. Something smelled like it was burning…

"Shit!"

I screamed and started throwing water from the faucet on to the now burning dragon pancakes. Aww.. I was really excited for him to try these too. I tried not to fall on the puddles all over the floor. Ugh this is what I can get for not paying attention! Levy is going to murder me! I tried getting closer to the pan but the fire grew on to the dish cloths and everything else that was lying near, and I burned my wrist. I yelled out in pain and seriously started to freak out.

"Lucy! What the hell?!"

Through the smoke, I could see a shirtless Natsu bolt down the stairs.

"Are you okay? How did this happen?!"

"Natsu I don't know but could you please just help me out here?!"

I could barely see him, but my eyes followed him as he ran into the laundry room and came back with the fire extinguisher. I'm going to have remind myself to thank Levy for being such a worry wart. He began spraying down the flames and as the fire grew smaller, I became more relaxed. Natsu however look freaked out the whole time.

"Hey Na- Waah!" I slipped on the mixture of water and foam and landed on my back.

"Luce!" I saw Natsu head my way with a really worried look on his face. What was he so worked up about?

"Are you ok- Unf!"

I closed my eyes and winced as I saw him ready to fall on top of me, but nothing came crashing down. I slowly opened my eyes and found a shirtless Natsu kneeling over me, his hands by my shoulders and him staring straight back at me. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and I knew I was blushing. The funny thing was though, that he was probably blushing just as hard as I was. I felt myself stop breathing like if I let this breath out right now, this moment would end. I didn't want it to end. I felt myself shiver. I just wanted him. He dropped his head let out a breath, rolled off of me and leaned on his elbows.

"Lucy, where are you hurt?" He sounded worried yet cold at the same time.

"My wrist… it's just a little burn kinda like a curling iron burn I'll be okay though."

"Just wait here, I'll grab the ointment."

Why was he acting so annoyed all of a sudden? Did I do something wrong or make him upset? He jogged back into the kitchen and kneeled next to me as he rubbed the lotion on.

"Umm.. Natsu? Why are so worried about me, I mean, my wrist?"

He sighed, finished rubbing and had his eyes meet mine.

"You need to be more careful. If something happens to you, I don't what I'd do. You're my friend, Luce. I want to make sure you're okay all the time."

He took his hand and brushed the hair out of my face. He looked into my eyes and I didn't know what was going on but he made me so nervous. The palm of his hand against my face made me want to kiss him. I started to lean in, I couldn't control myself, I just wanted our lips to meet already. There was no use in lying to myself any longer: I loved him. Every single little thing about him, I loved. My heart ached for him, I had to kiss him.

I could see him turn red and inch up slower to me now, and we were seconds away from contact, until the fire alarm went off above us and made us jump. He got up, but then looked back down at me with a curious look.

"I-I'm going to go shut that off, you should probably get changed since you're wet and all. We're leaving soon."

And just like that, he walked away and I was left sitting on the puddle-filled floor.

What the hell just happened... Oh my gosh I was going to kiss him. I am such an idiot. Ugh! I smacked myself on the head then went upstairs to get changed. The outfit of choice was pretty revealing but I had no choice since I hadn't done laundry yet. I walked down the stairs and saw Natsu sitting on the living room couch turn to look at me.

"Are you really going to go dressed like that?" he asked questionably.

"Uh.. I have nothing else. Is something wrong?" Since when did he care about what I wore? It's not like he was my dad.

"No-nothing I..I just think that it-it might be a little.. too m-much for the occasion that's all.." His voice shook awkwardly and when he spoke he didn't want to meet my eyes he was acting really weird and it was kind of freaking me out a little.

"Well anyway, we're going to be late so let's get going or Erza is going to kill us!"

He walked out the door, and got the car started while I locked the front door and walked behind him. As I was getting in the car, I swear I saw him check me out from the corner of his eye. It's a long stretch but is it possible he's starting to have feelings for me too?

"Luce, shut the door! Let's go, Lisanna's going to be there!"

Okay so I'm going to take that as a no, he's not feeling the same way I feel towards him. He was just a guy being a guy. I propped my elbow out the open window and let my face rest on my hand as Natsu drove on this really nice sunny day.

Natsu's P.O.V

As I drove, I couldn't help but steal glances at her. Oh my gosh... I almost kissed her. And I really wanted to do it. I don't want to be In love with her, I can't be. Even if she was the one meant for me I just don't want to ruin our friendship. It was getting really hot in this car and she was… I mean she was… Okay fuck it, she was looking gorgeous. Her hair was blowing in the wind and her skin glowed from how sunny it was outside. She was day dreaming, and I hoped she wasn't thinking about that asshole Sting. I made sure to purposely drive slower so I could take her all in, but eventually we did make it to the Jellal's Family's coffee shop.

We were a loud and roudy bunch, but it made the shop feel so much more at home. Lucy and I made our way and everyone greeted us. Levy ran up to Lucy and stole her away, which was okay because I was on the lookout for Lisanna. And there she was, beautiful blue eyes and amazing smile looking straight back at me. She walked over to me, and I fell in love with every step. I began pushing the events that occurred this morning with Lucy, so I could focus all my attention on Lisanna.

"Natsu, hi! How are you?"

"Hey Lisanna, I'm great. How's math going? I hope I was able to help even a little."

"Haha, of course you helped! Hey I know it's kind of short notice and all but my older sister Mirajane is throwing a party and was wondering if you wanted to come?

My heart was jumping up and down so fast I didn't respond right away. I was about to say yes, but only one thing came to mind: Lucy. There was no way I could go without her, I just couldn't.

"Hey, so… I mean I'm not trying to be rude or anything but do you think Lucy could come too? I know that everyones invited and stuff but I just wanted to double check and see if she got invited too."

She looked at me kind of funny like I hurt her and I immediately regretted what I had said. Why was it that me being Lucy's protector always led me to never having my own life? Ugh this was starting to get fucking annoying.

"Natsu, before I answer your question, can I ask you something as well?"

I nodded, and let her continue, nervous for what she had to say.

"Okay well, what are your feelings towards Lucy? You guys hang out so much you're practically dating. But, okay I'm kind of going out on a limb here, I really like you. I have a huge crush on you, but if you and Lucy are together then I don't want to come between you two."

She said she liked me… she liked me too! Yes! Lisanna was the type of girl you settle down with. She was beautiful, not too bright, and supportive. That sounded like wife material to me. I was a senior now and dad always said he met mom in highschool and new she was the one, so this felt okay. She was a home maker, the type who would always just be there when u needed her.

We sat down at a table and I began to explain to her my situation with Lucy. How her father had asked me to take care of her since she was little and how it had to be done in order for my dad to have his job. I told her how even though Lucy and I were close, she would never mean as much to me as she did. I told her I liked her too, and she smiled knowing the feeling was mutual. I found it weird how my head said yes but my heart told me no. I ignored it though, and made sure Lisanna knew that I too liked her for a really long time. But honestly, as I was talking to her, Lucy could not stop popping into my head. Even though I knew somewhere deep inside I felt something for her, I know the smart thing to do was get with Lisanna. I mean I've liked her all this time plus she was pretty hot, and the guys would worship me. It was stupid, but I assured her I liked her.

She giggled then looked at me longingly. Man, I've been waiting for that look for so long. But why didn't I feel all happy inside?

"Natsu, if you really mean that you feel more for me than you do Lucy, you should prove it to me."

The look she gave me drew me in closer to her. Even though I didn't know exactly how attracted I was to her, I had to have her. I was a guy after all I mean who' wouldn't dream of kissing Lisanna? I began to lean into her, and I pulled her closer. Just as our lips were about to touch, I felt my heart release a twinge of pain. I opened my eyes surprised at the feeling in my chest, and smiled at a wanting Lisanna in front of me waiting for me to kiss her with her eyes closed. But was even more surprised at what I saw behind Lisanna. In the corner of the shop, I saw Lucy and Sting chatting it up, and he had his arm around her waist. He kept looking down her shirt when she turned the other way, and he was practically drooling over her short skirt. Her eyes sparkled at him and I could see she was inching her hand up closer to place it on his knee. What the fuck is she doing? I specifically told her not get close to him! My blood was boiling inside me, and I was seeing red. She's my best friend, no guy has ever noticed her or been there for her like I have. She's always been mine. This is how she repays me? All I've ever done is protect her to the best of my ability and she can't even fucking listen to one simple direction. If I lost my relationship with Lisanna because of her then I'm done. I'm done giving up my chance of a future with an incredible girl all because Lucy isn't capable of taking care of herself.

I began leaning in to Lisanna again when I saw it. Sting took his hand and placed it softly behind her neck, bringing Lucy in closer to him. She was blushing hard, and he began whispering into her ear. That is where I draw the fucking line.


	5. Our Friendship, The Lie

Lucy P.O.V

The ride to the Fernandes's Coffee Shop was quiet and for some reason, Natsu was taking the long way there. It was peaceful though. Those were my favorite times, when he and I could just be together and not even have to say a word. I looked over at the boy sitting next to me as he payed attention to the road. He had a soft smile on his face, and his muscles were toned. We've both grown so much, it made me tear up a little just thinking about it. I remember when we were about 13 years old, I used to run to Natsu's house in the middle of the night because I would have nightmares of the scary dragons from the movies he used to force me to watch. One night in particular always stood out to me. The night I fell in love.

(Flashback)

I got up in the darkness of the night, tears covering my face and I was shaky. My head was disoriented and I needed to get out of this house. I put on my flip-flops, quietly left my room, and snuck out the back door. It was raining hard, but Natsu's house was close, I'd be fine. I arrived at his house, and for some reason, just took it all in. It was a nice house, with big windows and wooden doors. It had an antique yet new feel to it. I walked towards the side, and opened the back gate so I could get to his window. I look in and see a cute little Natsu sprawled out on his bed. I lightly tapped the wet glass, and saw Natsu get up and look at me in surprise.

"Lucy, what are you doing? It's pouring outside, get in here!"

I climbed in through his window and I started crying again as he helped me in. Oh, to be in his arms again.

"The dragons, they took my mom Natsu, they took her..."

I cried into his chest, and he held me close. He left the room, then came back and wrapped me in a towel, and began to stroke my head. He was so loving towards me, I just wanted to stay like this with him forever. I figured it was child love. We were both so innocent and young, how could we have known at the time that just by holding me close to his chest, it would make me fall in love with him?

"Luce, it's okay. Don't look at them as bad, they can be good too sometimes. And we both know that dragons had nothing to do with your mom right? They're not even real, silly."

I looked at him with a pout, as the tears rolled down my cheeks. I was still scared. No, terrified. In my dream, they were vicious and violent creatures with evil eyes and sharp fangs. They ripped my mother apart. That was pretty traumatizing to me especially since I was so young.

"They're scary Natsu..."

He looked up towards the ceiling with a pensive thought. Then he lit up as if he got the most brilliant idea!

"Okay, well am I scary?"

I looked up at the boy who was shining his best grin at me. He was goofy looking but cute at the same time. When I thought of him, I felt warm.

I giggled, "Nope. Not at all! You make me laugh, you're my best friend, Natsu!"

He drew me in for a hug again, and spoke softly to me.

"Then just think that I'm a dragon. I'm a pink dragon, who's nice to you, and funny and really warm."

I nestled my head into his chest and rested in his embrace. Then I felt his lips move on top of my head, and he kissed it.

"Natsu... why did you do that?"

I heard his breath shake a little and he held me a little tighter.

"I... I don't know. Whenever I was little and I was feeling sad or scared, my dad would kiss the top of my head and I would feel better. I felt like you needed it right now."

He didn't let go of me that whole night, and the next morning, Igneel found us asleep, holding each other in the corner of his room. He threw a blanket over us. He then said something I'd never forget:

"Thank you, Lucy, for filling his heart with joy."

At the time, I didn't understand why he had said it. As we grew older though, everything became clearer. When Natsu's mother left them, it him shattered. Kind of like me and my mom. I knew from that moment on, I always wanted to be the one who made him happy, and made sure he always felt needed and loved.

After he was done whispering this to a young me, he patted my head, kissed Natsu on his, and then called my father to let him know where I was. When I got home that evening, I got an ear full. My dad wasn't too happy with me running off in the middle of night, and he took away my phone for a week, but I regret none of it. That was a moment with Natsu that I will always cherish.

(End of flashback)

We arrived at the Fernandes's cafe, and from the windows you could see all our friends having a riot inside. Natsu and I looked at each other, grinned, then entered. Everyone greeted us with their hollering and laughter. Levy and Gajeel were hanging out with Gray and Juvia (who are officially a couple thanks to me), Wendy and Cana were playing cards, and Erza was behind the counter with Jellal lending a helping hand. He looked over at her lovingly and she gave him her best smile. It was the happiest I've ever seen her, and I loved seeing her that way. When will it be my turn to have someone look at me that way? I mean I didn't even know what was going on with Natsu and I especially after this morning, plus from what I could see right now, he had his eyes locked on Lisanna. Thank the spirits Levy was walking towards me, it saved me a from a very awkward moment with them.

"Lucy! Hi! Hope you were okay with staying by yourself last night?"

I hugged Levy, so happy that she's rescued me.

"Um Levy, something happened..."

She gave me a grim look, then pulled me towards the brown leather sofa. Gajeel came to join us and I began telling them story or the fire and how I burned my wrist but I was okay and how Natsu helped out a lot.

"I'm glad you're okay Lu-chan, and I'm glad the house is okay but I would like to know how Natsu just happened to be there when the fire started?"

She wiggled her eyebrows at me and I let myself laugh out loud.

"Okay, so he might have slept over but nothing happened, I swear!"

Gajeel laughed with us, and then he gave Levy a wink.

"What's everyone laughing about?" I turn to see a tall, muscular, and confident Sting coming our way. Levy gave me the "I'll-be-going-now" look and she and Gajeel went to go play blackjack with Wendy and Cana. Sting strode over and took a seat next to me. I sat there with with my hands in my lap as I felt his eyes roam freely around my body. He was slumped down and he had his arms folded across his chest. I could see his smirk through my eyelashes, and I finally drew the confidence to look up at him.

"Hey there," he said casually and very cooly. He was smooth, and he made me nervous.

"H-hi. Did you come to support Jellal? I know you guys are good friends..."

My voice shook a little, and I kept averting my eyes from his. He made my heart beat really fast, then not beat at all, then start beating fast again. I was either really attracted him or he scared me. Hopefully not the first one. He looked me over once again, doing a double take of my outfit I presume. Damn me and my ability to not get laundry done.

"Yeah, we're pretty good friends. Interesting enough, I just realized I may have came for him, but I'm definitely staying for you. You're looking good, Heartfilia. Why didn't I ever notice you when we were younger? Oh wait.. I remember because of you're pink-headed, annoying, friend."

He said Natsu's name with a snarl and it made me jump a little. He was way too much for me to handle. But mature Lucy doesn't shy away, she faces her problems and apparently, those she finds really obnoxious.

"Or it could be the fact that you bullied us to no end? I do recall that if wasn't for Natsu, you would have given me the blackeye instead of him."

He looked at me funny, then burst out laughing.

''Lucy, you really think I would hit you? How mean do you think I am, really? I only hit Natsu because he tackled me to ground. What a riot!"

He continued to laugh, and I couldn't hold it in any longer. His laugh was just so contagious, I also started chuckling. We looked at each other, stopped, then began laughing again. It was electrifying, his laugh and mine filled the air and I felt like this was the happiest I've been in such a long time... Since Natsu told me he liked Lisanna.

He took a breath then grabbed his sides, they were probably sore from laughing so much. He looks back at me with such a sweet smile, I can't help but smile back.

"Hey, what are you laughing about?" His smile turned into a smirk, but it was kind. I looked down at my twiddling thumbs as I spoke.

"I-I uhh.. Well... You're laugh is very contagious... It made me happy so I couldn't help but start laughing too."

I looked up through my eyelashes to see his face and make sure I hadn't offended him, and what I saw, surprised me. He was turned away from me, and... Blushing?!

"Sting, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelin- Eh?!"

He abruptly wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in closer to him. Our eyes locked and I didn't drop our gaze this time. My heart was soaring, and I turned bright red. I didn't mean to, but I looked deeply into his eyes. Who knows what he saw in mine, but I know what I saw in his. He had a lot of hurt, and resentment in them. Like when he got close to people, it pained him. I don't know what came over me, but I put my hand on his knee. He winced then let out a breath.

"Shit, I can't do this. Lucy, there's something I need to tell you. Please don't hate me, you're the first person I've ever gotten close too..."

His words were alarming, but sincere. It made me want to reach out to him, and let him know he was going to be okay.

"Hey... Please tell me whatever you'd like."

I gave him my most empathetic smile and he quickly and swiftly looked around the room, placed his hand gently on the back of my neck and pulled me in closer. I could feel his warm breath getting closer to my ear and a shudder coursed through me. I was blushing so hard, I had no idea how to react and I kind of just froze. I finally began to relax when I noticed he just wanted to whisper to me.

"It's your dad Lucy, he made me come here and I-"

Out of no where, Natsu came and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him away from me, onto the floor.

"Natsu?! What the hell are you doing?"

Normal P.O.V

Lucy was furious! Who does he think he is just treating people however he wants? Sting was trying to tell her something important! Sting got back up and began wrestling Natsu to the ground. Lucy screamed and everyone in the cafe went silent and whispered things among themselves. Natsu swung but Sting blocked and they rolled around trying to gain control one of the other. Gray and Gajeel pulled the two boys off each other and she just stood there in complete shock. The whole shop was in shock!

Natsu was done. He was so done with all this bullshit. He gave her one simple direction: Do not talk to Sting. But that's exactly what she did. He tried to cloud up the reasoning behind why he was angry. He made himself believe that he was engulfed in flaming rage because she was making it harder for him to do his job, and because she was in the way between him and Lisanna. But none of that was true, and he knew deep down inside. He was jealous of him. How dare he touch her however he please, she was Natsu's. Always has been. He's the one who's always cared for, he was the one who took care of her when her family life was falling apart. And he was the one who secretly kissed her head at night as she slept the nights they had sleepovers.

"Sting, don't fucking touch her again. That is my last and final warning to you."

Both of them were out of breath, and the tension in the room was intense. Natsu looked at Lucy with deadly eyes, and she couldn't understand what was going on. Why was he acting so jealous, didn't he like Lisanna? As Natsu began to turn away, Sting began to speak up. He was out of breath, you could hear it in the way he spoke.

"Heh... You're time as her protector... is coming to an end, Dragneel."

That did it. That set Natsu off. He turned around, and his fist met Sting's face. Hard. No one, and he meant no one... was going to tell him when his time with Lucy was done. It caught him off guard, though, what did he mean by that? Did he know something Natsu didn't? His thoughts were interrupted by a crying Lucy who came running his way. Probably to make sure he was okay. He gave her a very small smile, but she ran right past him, kneeled next to a bloody nosed Sting who was starting to come around. Well... that hurt.

"Sting oh my gosh, are you okay? Someone grab me some napkins and some ice, please! Is your nose okay?"

Before Sting could even get a word, a heat filled Natsu took Lucy, threw her over his shoulders, and waved bye to everyone as they all watched with their mouths hanging open. They made it outside to the parking lot and she began flailing and kicking.

"Natsu, dammit! Put me down! What the hell are you doing? What's your deal?!"

He put her down with a thud and she looked up at him, angry. Not as angry as him however, he was furious. He was always known for having a bad temper, and never being able to watch what he says, so she wanted to be careful in how she reacted. But she just couldn't.

"Who do you think you are just hitting him like that he did nothing wrong! Why can't we be friends, huh? Does it really get under your skin that mu-"

"Shut up."

She looked at him and took a step backward, carefully. Her face showed shock, and fear of his anger. He had never talked to her that way before in his whole life. But yet there he stood, eyes to the floor, fists closed and trembling with his rage. He was tired... so tired of having to look after others and not get a chance to be with the girl he likes.

"Natsu..."

"You, Lucy. It's you who gets under my skin. You're so fucking dependent on me to save your ass all the time. Why can't you just grow up, huh? Is it that hard to do? I told you one simple thing and that was to not talk to him! Why do I always have to drop everything I'm doing for you? Lisanna said she liked me today. We were about to seal deal until you and your stupid immature judgement decided that talking to Sting would be fine. She left crying, saying I care for you too much and that if I'm always having to protect you, she didn't want any part of that. Why? Because who would! Who would want a boyfriend who has to go off protecting someone else all the time?! Please tell me, who the fuck would?! How can I think about being with her and only thinking about her when you are always going to be there? I don't want to have to be around you for fucking forever! I have my own life to live too, dammit!"

Her eyes began to brim with tears and she took another step back. His words were hurtful and they made her want to start bawling right then and there. But she was trying, she was trying so hard to be strong.

"But... we've always been friends Natsu. And why do you care whether I like Sting back or not? And I never asked you to protect me this much so I don't see how this is my fault!"

Her voice had become so shaky from holding in her tears she was getting ready to break.

"That's it! I seriously can't even take this anymore! Lucy, I'm not your friend by choice. I have never been your actual friend to you. The only reason I made you believe I was is so I could do my job. You're fucking sleazy ass dad hired me to me protect you so nothing would ever happen to you. Actually, hired is the wrong word. He manipulated me into it. He offered my dad a better job with bigger pay as long as all I did was make sure nothing happened to you. But you know what? Go ahead and tell him I'm done. I'm so fucking done because our friendship, isn't worth much if it means I can't be my own goddamn person! And if you like him so much then go be with him, he seems to be the only one willing to put up with you."

He looked up at her bravely then quickly wished he hadn't. She broke. Over and over her emotions began to wash over and she began to drown in her sorrows. Her face was the mirror of her soul. Her eyes were blank, she had no smile. She stood there with the tears streaming down her face, until her knees gave out, and she sank to ground. She sobbed into her hands and her heart ached and ached until the only thing left for her to do was gasp for air and hold on to her chest. It hurt, it hurt so bad. She loved him, she loved the boy before her yet he just destroyed her. To hear that their entire friendship had all just been an acting gig for hin hurt her to the last nerve in her bone. He tried to approach her but he couldn't. How could he fix this... how? This time, it was impossible. He knew he had fucked up. He was the only person who was ever there for her, and now he also hurt her. Just like the death of her mother, just like her asshole of a dad. He was just someone who hurt her too. It crushed him to see her like this, but his adrenaline was still fueling his anger, and his thoughts were murky, he couldn't think clearly. In a way, he was a little relieved that she knew. He could start up his own life with Lisanna now. He could be free. Her hiccuping sobs interrupted his thoughts, and he walked towards her.

"Luce, I just... I wanted to be happy... Please I- I just..."

He reached out his hand and placed it on her face to wipe away her tears, but she smacked it away. She looked up at him, with her deep brown eyes, and began to get up slowly. She mustered up all the strength she had, and stood with a wobble.

"Don't touch me! I do get it Natsu, I never made you happy. All those times we spent having fun together meant nothing to you. I'll be out of your life for good now, no need to worry about me, don't protect me. I don't need it nor want it."

"Look, we can still hang out and-"

"No, Natsu. I never want to see you again."

He looked at her in disbelief, and she began to laugh and then looked at him snarkly.

"You know what? I loved you. This whole time, I've loved you so much. I looked at you and thought you were my world. You lit me up and made me experience happiness and friendship. This is exactly what I needed though to wake me up."

He looked at her with big eyes. He knew she might have had feelings for him but to hear her say it, it made his hear jump. He grabbed his chest then looked back at her.

"Luce... I-Lo.. I really think I lov-"

"You're pathetic Natsu Dragneel. You're the worst person out there," then the sobs began to wash over her again, and words were covered in her tears and breaths.

"I-I thought you were the one person I could always count on. You were my best friend, I've shared every detail of my life with you, and you throw me away like a piece of garbage. What kind of friend is that, huh?!"

Her words became screams, and she fell back onto the ground where she sat and hugged her knees. She sobbed harder and harder. He tried to approach her but she wouldn't let him.

"Get out of here! Leave, I never want to see you again, you hurt me just like everyone else. I hate you, I hate you so much!"

Levy must of heard her cries, because she came running outside and saw Lucy crying in the parking lot and ran to her.

"Lucy! Oh my gosh what's wrong? Holy crap!"

She kneeled down next to her broken hearted friend. She then looked over at Natsu, who had an expressionless face. His heart hurt, it hurt him to hear Lucy say she hated him. It hurt so much more than he thought it would and by the look Levy was giving him, he knew it was time to go. He no longer had the burden of protecting her but he no longer had the privilege to be called her friend. He didn't know what to feel.

He got close enough so she could hear and he said his last goodbyes.

"I'm sorry..."

and he walked away back into his car, and drove away. Lucy and Levy sat there holding each other as she cried into her only best friend's arms. It was too much, it washed over her too much.

"L-Levy I know we have sc-school soon but please, please don't make me go please!"

She continued sobbing into Levy, until it was time for them to go. Even though Levy was small, she put Lucy's arm around her shoulder and lifted her up, so they could walk to her car.

"Come on Lu-chan, let's get you home."


	6. The Fire Alarm

Lucy's P.O.V

I walked in through the wooden front door of our house and slumped against the cold tile. I told Levy to go on to school, that I'd be fine. Although she was reluctant she gave me a big hug, then whispered, "It'll be okay Lucy. I'll be back tonight, please don't cry anymore." I nodded at her then got out of the car, and off she went. I brought my hands up to my face. They were shaky and cold, and my vision turned blurry with the tears that threatened to spill over. I choked out a sob, and then water from my eyes poured out. I cried into my hands, I sniffled and kept letting out soft sobs. Natsu is my best friend... I thought. I thought he was my friend, but he wasn't. I can't wrap my head around the idea that this whole time he was pretending, I mean there was no way. All the times I was sick and he slept over to take care of me, all the nights he had nightmares and he had me play with his hair until he fell asleep, us hanging out at school everyday I mean how could it have all been a lie? I took small steps up the stairs, until I reached my bedroom. I stood at the door and stared at the pink comforter that stabbed my heart over and over again. Stupid, ugly thing. I hate you. I hate him. I came up here to lie on my bed but I'm scared to touch it, I'm scared it'll hurt. I looked up at the ceiling, then once more at the comforter and decided enough is enough.

I grab it, drag it down the stairs and out the backyard. I stare at it once more. I walk into the kitchen, look around me, and take it all in. The walls are a little grey and smokey from early today, and the floor has dried from the puddles. I sit on the cold tile once more and pull my knees in towards as me as my tears begin to appear again. Dammit. I closed my eyes tight, as I remembered the incidents from today. How Natsu and I had almost kissed, how he had taken care of me through the fire. And then suddenly, an idea came to my mind. I reached underneath the cabinet under the sink and pulled out Levy's emergency party bottle of Vodka, still unopened and new. I twisted the cap open, looked at it and then took a swig. It felt like burning water was making its way down my throat, and I choked a little before catching my breath. "Lucy what are you doing... What's happening?" My heart and brain were not in synch. One seeked rest and peace, the other vengeance and rage. I kept drinking until there was about 3/4 left, and then took the bottle with me outside. I poured some over the ugly, pink, heart breaking comforter, and let it soak. I walked towards the barbecue, and grabbed the matches, then I drank some more. My hands shook violently either because the vodka had gotten to me, or because doing this made my heart ache. But I didn't care, I didn't want to stare at this any longer. I struck it against the match box and watched it come to life. I then carefully dropped it onto the blanket and watched the fire grow large and warm. This time I kept the hose next to me knowing that he wouldn't come if the fire got too large, he wouldn't save me.

I laid on the grass and watched the blanket turn from pink, to black, to some parts being remaining ash. Yes. This is what I felt like inside... burned up ash. Disposed of, easy to get rid of. How dare he... my so called friend. My vision became darker as I continued to drink what was left of the bottle. I felt nice, I felt warm. I knew I didn't ever need him to keep me warm, I had fire and it was my friend. Man, I was tired. I closed my eyes, and sank into the darkness as I let the fire ease me to sleep on the damp, wet grass.

Natsu's P.O.V

I drove to school with my hands stiff on the wheel and my hear racing at a hundred miles an hour. What the fuck had I just done... I watched her fall to her knees and break as I told her she was never friend. My heart ached so bad it was hard to drive straight. How... could I just stand there and watch her shatter to pieces regardless if I was pretending to be her friend or not? We had done so much for each other, and she had been there for me when I need her. My mind wandered as I drove, probably not the safest thing to do, but I couldn't help it. Just last night I had her wrapped in my arms as I slept. She smelled like vanilla, and her skin was soft. Her breathing lulled me sweetly, and our heart beats matched up. I took my hand, and stroked her head softly. I ran my finger through her hair, her beautiful hair. But nothing was more beautiful then her smile. It lit up my world, it made me want to give her everything she ever wanted. And when she looked at me with those deep brown eyes, I always got weak at the knees. Dammit! I hit my steering wheel frustrated and confused. Why do I feel this way about Lucy when Lisanna has always had my heart from the very beginning? Lisanna was great too. She was so so pretty, and her blue eyes reminded me of the ocean. She was also really nice and really smart. But Luce, she kept me warm. She lit a fire inside me when my world was dark. Sigh. Natsu, you dumbass. What have you gotten yourself into this time?! I was just so tired of being a baby sitter. I mean taking care of her was never an actual job to me I never took it seriously... right?

I go to school, locked up my car and walked through the front doors. The hallway was busy, but there was a sullen tone to it. I looked up at my friend's faces who only gave me a soft smile, and a look in their eyes like they felt sorry for me. What the hell? I walked past them and went straight into my chemistry class where I sat next to Gray.

"Well dude, it's official. You royally, fucked up."

I looked at him with a deathly stare. He needed to back up.

"Shut up. It had to be done, she was annoying me. How can I be my own person when I always have to take care of her? It's a stupid nuisance."

"Natsu, are you really that big of an idiot? Yeah, maybe the whole deal with her dad wasn't right but everyone knows you guys really cared about each other. You can't sit there and try to tell me you don't love her!"

His yelling was giving me a massive headache.

"Enough, Gray. Drop it already," I replied with a low snarl. He sighed then looked back to his phone where he was texting Juvia.

Now that I think about it, this is the class Lucy usually meets me before and we talk before she runs off late to hers. Where was she? I turned back to look, but instead found Sting sitting there anxiously. I wanted to get up and beat the shit out of him, but I had to remember we were in class. I whispered to him as softly but angrily as I could.

"Where is she?"

He looked at me with "I-don't-care" gaze and replied nonchalantly.

"I don't know, Levy must have taken her home."

"What... what did you mean when you said my time as her protector was done?"

He gave me that stupid smirk of his and right as I was about to snap back and hit him, Gray turned around too and he grabbed my fist.

"You need to let him talk, if you want the answer to your question."

I gave him a grim look but agreed.

"Well, if you must know, Lucy's dad hired me just like he hired you. He said you were a great protector, but it was never your job to act like her boyfriend so he got pissed off. He said you were fired and I was in. Why? Because my parents are fucking rich and they said if she needs a protector, might as well be someone who will actually have a chance with her. He's been looking this whole time to find someone to marry her when she finishes college because he wants her well off and wealthy. If her dad and my parents make a business deal, it would go good for both of them. I figured it owuld benefit me too, she seems like she would be really good in bed. But, after seeing all the trouble she can cause I quit too. I was really starting to fall for her too. Oh well, she'll just have to do good on her own."

I tried really hard to ignore that second to last part so I could think clearly. Never had I thought Jude Heartfilia would do this to me. He manipulted me this whole time just to take it away from me? It makes no sense. If I had quit and was apperantly fired, and Sting quit too, who would take care of her?

"Sting, don't do it. Please don't quit."

It was unexpected and I could tell. Gray and Sting both looked at me in complete surprise, it had caught them off guard.

"If you leave, who will protect her? Someone needs to take care of her and I hurt her too much please help her."

My breath was shaky, and I realized I was pleading. I must have sounded so weak, but I didn't care. She needed to be safe. Even if I hated him, I saw the way he looked at her. He would do anything for her, I saw it in the way he was when he was around. Sting liked Lucy, and eventually they'd fall in love just like she and I had. Had. I broke her heart. We were no longer anything. Luce...

Right then, the fire alarm was pulled right outside our classroom, and I saw Levy bolt from where she had pulled the alarm and out to towards the front of the school. What the hell was going on? The whole class got up from their seats and proceeded in our fire drill formation. I looked over at Gray and Sting but they just shrugged. No one really knew what was happening but I followed everyone else out. As soon as I walked past a corridor, a hand grabbed me and pulled me back. It was Lisanna.

"Lisanna? What's up? We kind of have to go..."

She looked at me with her blue, blue eyes and as a man I couldn't resist. Whatever she wanted, I would give it to her.

"I heard some trash can was on fire, but everything should be okay. We should be able to go somewhere else... The fire isn't a big deal."

I just could not say no. We sneaked into an empty classroom and our hearts were beating at a hundred miles an hour. I had my hands around her waist as we rested on the other side of the door. It looked like she wanted me to kiss her, but I... I don't know.

"Hey, Natsu, is something wrong? You look kind of shaken up. Are you scared we'll get caught?"

"No, but I-"

I was caught off when we heard the door handle rattle and keys begin to be taken out to unlock the door.

"Shit!"

I grabbed Lisanna's hand and we hid under a counter right when the teacher walked in. It seemed they were looking for something, but quickly left short after that.

"Lisanna, we should go. It's not going to be worth caught like this."

She kissed my cheek and I looked at her. It wasn't fair that she had waited this whole time for me to leave Lucy and be with her. Not that Lisanna had forced me, she wouldn't ever do that. But she did tell me it was time I decided what I really wanted. I pulled her in closer and kissed her. It caught her by surprise but she didn't pull away. It was awkward, and I was expecting fireworks and emotions that never came. I was still a little nervous considering it was my first kiss and kind of excited but it just wasn't what I had expected. I pulled away first, and she looked at me sweetly. I gave her my signature smile and we walked out towards the outside. We heard screams and thought maybe it was time to get going. She looked over at my lovingly once more. Nothing felt right, but I figured that this was the right thing to do, being with her. Right?


	7. The Drunken Fall

Natsu's P.O.V

We got outside and walked towards where we were supposed to meet. A crowd of people swarmed the back wall as we got outside, and I could hear that the ambulance had just gotten to the parking lot. Lisanna and I looked at each other then ran towards the crowd of people. The entire school was surrounding this area and it made it so hard to see whats happening. People were not letting us in, but they did move out quickly when the paramedics came out with the stretcher. I looked around, and some of my friends were crying, this was freaking me out! I don't understand what's happening! The police had just gotten there, and it looked like they were trying to pull someone away from the crowd. It was Sting. He thrashed against them, and he was yelling things I couldn't understand because everyone else was crying and screaming.

The paramedics were yelling at everyone to get back, and thankfully they obediently did. I managed to make my way through the crowd where I saw Levy, screaming and bawling into Gajeel, and Gray holding Juvia as she cried and he was trying not too. Everyone's faces were sullen and scared. I finally made it to the front, where I saw one of the paramedics attending a girl. She was blonde with a perky body, and a beautiful face. Her eyes were closed, she was peaceful but she was covered in blood.

Lucy's P.O.V

I woke up around one, meaning I had been sleeping outside for two or three hours. It was around 11am when I got home right? Was school still going on? My head couldn't figure out what was happening. I was dizzy and disoriented, my vision blurry. I got up and started to stumble around. I reached for the bottle of vodka on my left and found it was mostly empty except for the very little that was left in the bottom. I drank, it didn't burn anymore it was just like drinking water. I made way towards the back door and entered the house. The lights gave me a headache and I couldn't see well and I bumped into many different corners.

"Natsu... I-I have to get to Natsu."

The only thought I had was I had to get to him, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to punch him or kiss him. Maybe both. A memory of a pink haired boy coming to knock on my door the first week I had moved in, popped into my mind. I quickly shook my head to get rid of it. I need to see him. Now. Every inch of me needed to see him and I couldn't hold back since it had become clear the alcohol had taken over.

I walked towards the front door and grabbed the handle, then froze. If I went looking for him, I was most likely going to find him with Lisanna or just happily fine on his own, not giving a damn of how much he had hurt me. I didn't care though, so I walked out front stumbling and trying to walk straight but it was so hard and my. I closed the door behind me, and began walking towards the bus stop that was around the corner. I knew it stopped close to the school so I decided to take it. The buzz inside me was getting stronger and I became extremely disoriented. The bus came quickly, I stumbled getting on but eventually managed my way to a seat as I got really disapproving looks from everyone. My head burst into pain and I was really regretting that entire bottle of vodka.

20 minutes later, I arrived at the school. I stood there, knees weak, as I looked up at the huge building. It wasn't so much tall, as it was wide. It was only three stories, and it had many windows. The school was a tanish color and it looked like it was from a movie. I stared at the main doors Natsu and I had entered together time after time since our freshman year. My heart ached, and it seeked comfort in his arms. He was the one I always went to when things went wrong.

"No, Lucy, that isn't your life anymore," I told myself.

I walked in through the doors and stumbled around some more before finally crashing into some lockers. I hit my shoulder and I gave out a little yelp, shit that hurt. I finally made it to the window that was on the back door to the chemistry lab where I knew Natsu would be. I saw Gray right next to him, and Sting behind. He was just sitting there, fine as could be. He had a smile on his face as the teacher talked away and he kept checking his phone periodically. He turned to talk to Sting and I saw his face. The face I couldn't believe had been lying to me this whole time. I couldn't look at him, it made me sick. I ran towards the nearest stairwell and sat on the stairs. My eyes burned with the tears that began to come out, and I began to heave into my knees. My head was in a sharp pain, my heart was broken, and my vision was blurred with a mix of tears and my drunken state. Air... All I need is air.

I climbed the three flights of stairs towards the roof where I knew I could breathe that fresh breeze. I could not walk straight to save my life, and I was starting to feel like I was going to throw up. Being drunk was not my strong suit, apparently, but hank the spirits I finally made it to the door that would lead me to my resolve.

I swung the door open and then closed it behind me. The wind blew through my hair, and hit my face calmly. This was nice. If I could sit up here and lay on the floor forever feeling the breeze, I knew I'd be okay. But suddenly, I felt sick. I ran towards a corner and threw up, emptying myself from the alcohol earlier. Ugh, this sucks. I sat against the wall for a while resting my head on my knees, until I heard some laughter come from below. I walked towards the edge a little wobbly to see what was going on. When I looked down, I saw Levy, Erza, Cana, and Wendy.. oh! It was time for PE, and they were at our usual hiding spot behind the back wall. There was a tree over shadowing them and I wanted to get a closer look, and hear what they were talking about. My head was still spinning, and my knees were weak but I mustered up the strength to stand on the ledge and look down. My foot slid, and I almost lost my footing but was able to regain it quickly. However, this had also caused some gravel from the ledge to fall and catch the attention of my friends.

"Eh? Lucy? What are you doing up there?! Get down, you're going to hurt yourself! Please get down!" Erza shouted at me.

Levy looked at me frantically, "Lucy, please! I know you're depressed about Natsu but this isn't the way to handle things! Come down we can talk it out!"

"What? I wasn't trying to jump or anything I'm just up here to get some fresh air. No big deal guys! I'll come down now and meet you by the wall ok-"

My foot missed its next step from balancing on the edge, and I began to fall. My hands reached out to grab something, anything, but there was nothing there. The building was only three stories but the fall took forever. I could hear my friends scream as I approached the ground closer, and tears fell from my eyes too. Natsu didn't know.. he didn't know I really loved him.

I hit the ground, a sharp deadly pain resonated throughout my head, and then everything was dark.

Normal P.O.V

The world around him blurred with anger and sadness. He pushed everyone out of his way and ran up to her cold lifeless body. He screamed her name as fell to his knees, picked up her head gently and held her in his arms. The one thing he never wanted to do in his entire life was hold a lifeless Lucy in his arms. It was more then his job to keep her safe, it was his whole life. She meant the world to him even though he had denied the feelings to himself this whole time. He felt his heart begin to break as he held her longer. His breathing became his heaves as he began to become overwhelmed with an uncontrollable sadness and anger. He didn't speak he just held her as the paramedics tried to take her from him. He destroyed her, he didn't protect her and then this happened, she was going to leave him. He replayed the words over and over again, the words that had broken her heart.

"Don't touch her! Don't you dare fucking come close to her!" he screamed at them as his tears began to spill. He cried into her blood stained hair shouting at her to come back.'

"Lucy! Wake up, please wake up please, fuck!" His sobs were loud and his feelings over powered him. Gajeel and Gray finally grabbed Natsu by the arms and he, too, thrashed against them as hard as he could. He screamed and yelled for them to let him go and they knew Lucy wouldn't get the help she needed if they did.

"Lucy! No, please! Guys wake her up, I need to wake her up let me the fuck go! You don't understand!"

"Natsu enough already, do you want her to fucking die?! They need to take her to the hospital stop fighting us already!" Gajeel said as he struggled to drag him away.

"No! Stop, let go of me! I can help her, let me help her!" His screams went from being filled rage to a desperate plea.

Die... She was going to die. His young, beautiful best friend was going to die on him. He remembered how limp she felt in his arms, how there was no joy or life to her. He let his friends drag him away as he stared at them work on her, trying to bring her back. He saw one of the paramedics shake his head no, wrap up her head as fast and efficiently as possible, then left her onto the stretcher and into the ambulance.

They finally let him go when they figured they were far enough and watched as he just sat there, knees to his chest crying into his forearm. If he had just done what he'd said he would never do. He never wanted to hurt her. If he wouldn't have denied his feelings, this would have never happened. His heart ached with a pain so strong it hurt to breathe. To see her like that... covered in blood, limp, and with no shine, it broke him. He screamed a million different curse words into his arm as he sobbed and Gray put an arm around him carefully.

"Gray... Please... Please drive me to the hospital so I can be with her," he said quietly through his shaky breaths.

He nodded picked Natsu up by the elbow with some help from Gajeel and began leading him to his car. Just then, Levy came up running to them, tears running down her face. She had a broken heart as well, and that was understandable. Besides Natsu, she had always been Lucy's closest friend. She took one look at Natsu, stepped closer, and slapped him hard across the face. "You're an idiot... How-" she stutterd was finding it hard to talk through her hiccuping cries," How dare you do this to her?! S-She never did anything to you! If she dies, I will never forgive you!"

She then ran away, covering her face. Gajeel gave Natsu the I-should-go-with-her look and he understood that also. He rubbed his cheek where Levy had slapped him, then turned towards Gray's car. They started the car, and went towards the hospital. Gray put his hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to see him give a small reassuring smile.

"Natsu, it'll be fine they're taking of her. Right now, you need to be there for her, be strong." Gray had always been the voice of reason.

He didn't know if she was okay or if she was gone... His whole life was dedicated to protecting her and then this happens. He shook in his seat the entire way there. His mind kept flashing to earlier that day, how he had felt when Lucy had told him she loved him. Somewhere deep inside he knew, he knew how she felt about him but he always ignored it. And now, he realized he felt the same way too. He had spent this whole time telling himself that he wanted Lisanna and no one else but her. Yet when Lucy fell asleep in his arms at night, she was the one he kissed on the forehead while she slept. He never wanted to admit it, it just didn't seem right. But when he saw her body covered in blood and practically lifeless, it woke him up. He never wanted to spend another moment away from her. He had fallen in love with her, but he was scared of it, he was scared he wasn't good enough for her.

The drive was quiet and long, but they finally arrived. Gray parked the car, and they ran inside. The walls were white and it smelled like... well it smelled like a hospital. There were sick people in the urgent care section and worried ones in the waiting room. He didn't want to be one of them. He looked around and heard door swing open. A stretcher was being moved from the urgent section and being pulled into the emergency operating room, it was Lucy.

"Luce... Lucy!" He caught up to the stretcher demanding to know what was happening.

"What's going on? Where are you taking her?!"

"Sir, please calm down we are doing everything we can. She has three fractured ribs and a fractured skull and possibly some injuries in her arms and legs. She's lost a lot of blood, we need to move her into the intensive care unit."

He stopped walking by their side as they continued to take her away to a new room. He looked at her face one last time before she went in through the double doors, and his heart twinged in pain. Her hair and face were no longer blood stained, and she looked like she was asleep, just like she had been the night before. He never thought that that would have been the last night with her... He immediately stopped thinking like that. She wasn't going anywhere, he wouldn't let her. She's the girl who would always have his heart and no one was ever going to replace her. As much as he tried to move on to Lisanna there was a reason a part of his heart that could never leave her behind.

"Gray!" Juvia was coming down the hall way towards them and went straight for Gray's arms. She then looked up at him worriedly and then shifted her gaze towards Natsu.

"Natsu, Juvia's mom is a doctor here and I told her to get here as soon as she could so we made sure her mom had the case, and we were on the inside. We should now have an advantage on knowing how Lucy is doing even though we're not family."

Gray's voice gave him hope, and then he gave him that reassuring half smile again. They went to go sit in the waiting room with Juvia as they discussed details about the injury and about what her mom knew so far. It was going to be a long night.


	8. You're Fired

Natsu's P.O.V

We had been there for an hour and it was driving me crazy. There was no way we could find out what was going on because Juvia's mom hadn't come out of those double doors yet. I stood up and started to pace... How much longer? I need to tell her I'm sorry, and that she means everything to me. I need to tell her she's my only reason for smiling and that I'm never going to hurt her again. She needs to know. I just wanted her to know I didn't mean any of it and that she was my best friend.

Just then, Jude Heartfilia and Sting walked in and came storming towards us. Sting readied his fist to hit me but Jude stopped it.

"Now now Sting, you will have your time to talk to Mr. Dragneel. But for now, he and I must have a chat." His voice had a tone that made the hairs on my arms stick straight up.

He had never been a kind man, especially not to Lucy. He never paid any attention to her, and he only did things that would benefit him. He could never be trusted, especially not with Lucy. I hated him.

He pointed to a couple of empty seats in the waiting room signaling me towards them and we sat down. His eyes were boiling a hole in my head, the blood rushed through my body, he was a scary guy. His eyes came off as someone who shouldn't be messed with but at the same time there was a lot of pain there.

"What do you want, Mr. Heartfilia?" I said with a quiet tone, man, I could not look him straight in the eyes without stumbling over my words.

"Oh Natsu, no need to be so formal. I'm just Jude to you. How have you been? Ah, but you don't really want to chat do you?" His smirk and tone were starting to piss me off.

"So, we'll get straight to it. You're fired. you're father still has his job, however, so have a nice day, oh, and stay away from Lucy. That's not a question. Your time with her is done."

He began to walk away when I grabbed his wrist. He looked furious at first but then became more calm. He didn't expect that from me or, maybe he did?

"Like hell I will I-" I stopped myself right there. Talking to him pissed off and angry won't help my cause, not with him anyway.

"Please don't do this... I never meant for any of this to happen. I can do better I swear, just don't make me stay away. She's my best friend!"

He looked at me with a smirk before speaking. I hated this fucking bastard so much.

"Natsu, have you fallen in love with my daughter?" I looked from his eyes to my feet. And began to stumble over my words. "I-"

He started laughing and grabbed his sides as if I had just told the funniest joke he's ever heard, prick.

"Look, you've done good so far but as far as I'm concerned, my daughter is in the hospital from what seems to be a suicide attempt because you somehow play a key role in this. Now, you're not in any trouble so just leave it at that. Your time of having to always have to watch over her is done. Don't you want to go on and have your own life? Go to college, find a girl, and settle down, live your life. Lucy can't be with you even if you wanted to, and that's why I sent in Sting he is the one I've arranged to marry her off with."

He then pointed to me in the direction of where Sting now stood talking to a nurse about Lucy, and she was handing him scrubs?! Why did he get to go in and see her?!

"Wait! I need to go in there! Mr. Heartfilia please, I have been with her this whole time its me who should be in there when she wakes up! Please let me see her just one more time please."

He mulled this over with a pensive look before he finally spoke again. And what he said, broke my heart into a million pieces before I turned, slowly grabbed my things and walked out the hospital door, and Gray ran after me.

"Natsu! Where are you going? You're just going to leave after all this?" He looked exasperated talking to me, my poor best friend.

"I have to go, you just don't understand. Mr. Heartfilia said I had too and that is that."

I slowly stumbled and walked away as my heart broke over and over again in the darkness of the night.


	9. Special Arrangements

Lucy's P.O.V

Where am I? My head was throbbing and all I saw was darkness... It was hard to open my eyes and they felt so heavy. Think Lucy, think! I tried to regain my senses and the wave of rubbing alcohol and disinfectants hit my nose hard. Okay that didn't help. As I fought more and more to regain consciousness, I found myself being able to take in different sounds. I heard busy voices talking, but it wasn't close to me and they were muffled. I heard beeping from some sort of machine, I think, and it sounded like there was snoring... that meant someone was in here with me. Was it Natsu? What happened before I got here. I now tried to move my arms and legs and experienced an incredibly sharp pain in my left leg and right side of my ribs. Even though I was in excruciating pain I wanted to move, I wanted to see him.

I was finally able to open my heavy eyes and took in the scene in front of me. I was in a hospital, the one really close to school. There were machines, as expected, and an IV in my wrist. The walls were an ugly light blue and there was a door in the corner. My ribs and right were wrapped up, and my left leg had a brace on it. As I looked over I gave a little jump. Sting was asleep on the little dark teal couch in the room and to be honest he wasn't the one I expected to be there. Did Natsu still hate me after all this? And why can't I remember how I got here? Did he know I was in here?

I sighed loudly and found that my mouth was kind of dry, I did not feel good at all maybe I should call in the nurse. But all I really was to get some answers to what the hell was going on!

"Sting..." I whisperd. "Hey Sting, wake up," I whispered even louder. Just then he let out a loud snore, dammit. I grabbed the blue stuffed animal cat someone had left on the table beside me, and winced as I threw it at him, my arms were really sore! He woke up startled then looked around before finally looking at me.

"Oh hey Blondie," He casually he said as he began to fall back asleep. Lazy ass. Suddenly, his eyes opened wide open and he looked at me.

"Lucy!"

He ran up to me and hugged me hard which kinda of really hurt, especially around my ribs!

"Ow, please stop that! I can't breathe!"

"Oh yeah, right, sorry! I can't believe you're awake I need to tell someone, Lucy, I'm so happy you're okay!" he said as he began to head towards the door.

"Wait, Sting! What's going on? Why am I here?"

He looked at me very curiously and kind of sad before sitting at the edge of my bed.

"Blondie, you tried to.. you tried to kill yourself."

I was in shock. I couldn't remember anything except for the fact that I had fallen asleep next to Natsu's burning blanket in my backyard. Now that I think about it, doing that made me feel 5 years old.

He continued as he watched me ponder this over.

"You were on the roof at school, and Levy and Erza watched you jump off. You landed on the right side of you body. Your arm looked pretty broken and you fractured a rib or two. Your left leg landed kind of weird, you hurt it pretty bad but nothing broke. As for your head well, the doctor said a hairline fracture to the skull although small and fast at healing will be pretty painful. He also said you were lucky our school isn't very tall and something about a bruised brain but your cat scan came back looking good."

Its like I couldn't register any of that. How could have something so traumatic happened, and I didn't remember any of it? And out of all my friends, why was Sting the only one here?

"Do you know why I jumped? I just can't remember anything right now."

He didn't seem to want to meet my eyes as he spoke, "Well the word around school is you jumped because of Natsu. They say he broke you heart so bad you jumped. There's a rumor going around also that you were pretty drunk but I don't know, you seem too goody goody to be able to chug down a whole bottle of vodka so I mean-"

I gasped loudly then covered my mouth... everything hit me like a truck. The mention of vodka triggered my acid reflex and taste aversion but it helped me remember. How could I forget that awful feeling?

"Sting, I remember!"

He looked just as surprise as me, and his eyes got even wider as I continued my story and told him what really happened. Sting was a good guy, he listened to me and understood without judging me. If I wasn't so head over heels in love with a pink headed, idiot, best friend of mine, I would give him a chance.

"And so I got up on the ledge not trying to jump but I was just drunk and I saw my friends below so I wanted to say hi. They told me to get down and I was but my foot lost its step and I fell. I wasn't trying to jump I promise!"

"Lucy," he said kind of whispering, "everyone has been worried sick about you. The school has split into two with one side hating how Natsu broke your heart and for making you jump and the other feels that you were an idiot for jumping in the first place over a stupid idiot like him. I know you just woke up and stuff but we need to get you back to school there's a lot of people that you need to fix things with."

I nodded yes and we talked a bit more about my injuries but I still wanted to know the answer to something, I just didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Sting, not that I don't appreciate you being here because I really really do, but why isn't anyone else here? Are they really that mad at me for jumping?"

He sighed then got up and started to pace.

"Lucy I have to tell you the truth and as terrified of your father as I am, I hate you not knowing anything even more. The reason I moved back here was because of your dad. He had made an arrangement with our parents that we were going to get married once you graduated. As you know, Natsu was hired by your dad to be your protector because hes got a lot of enemies and he didn't want anything to happen to you. Natsu obviously got way closer to you than he should have so that's when I got sent here, to break that up. The reason no one else is here, is because your dad told the school you were in a coma and there was a high chance you weren't going to make it. Except you weren't actually that bad, he just wanted everyone to forget about you so you and I could move out of here and he'd give us some place to live close to him and live out our life according to him. I'm sorry Lucy, I really am. Your dad threatened to make my life miserable I didn't mean to cause any problems."

I smiled at him in an understanding way, because I knew how my dad could be. But I was boiling on the inside.

"So, Natsu thinks I'm still here huh? How long have I been in here anyway?"

Again, he couldn't meet my eyes.

"Sting, please tell me what you have to say." I was feeling kind of irritated at my dad and he wasn't helping by not talking.

"You've been here for about 3 weeks ish maybe a month, I've lost track of time but not too long. Lucy, Natsu doesn't think you're here. He confessed to your dad that he loved you, so your dad told him because of his disobedience that we would have to pay. He told Natsu that he was going to move you far away and if he tried to fight for you at all, he would send someone after his dad. Obviously Natsu didn't want that so he stopped coming to visit you. He would give me flowers and that ugly blue cat thing to give to you. Your dad found out and basically called him and told him you passed away. He thinks you're dead."

I slowly took those words in. I've been here for 3 weeks, and to the guy I loved, he thought I was gone and never coming back.

"Sting... Get Levy down here ASAP I don't care if you have to cross my dad I'll deal with him for you, I promise. She's the only who can help."


	10. Natsu's Broken Heart

Natsu's P.O.V

Three weeks and five days. That's how long it's been since I last saw Lucy. Three weeks and four days. That's how long it's been since she smiled at me and she was alive. It was Monday, three in the morning. Ever since Lucy di-... ever since she... since she passed away, I slept about four hours a night and woke up really early. Then I sit here, let the tears run down my cheeks for the while, and scream into my pillow. The first two weeks I couldn't hold in my sobs and my dad would hear me, so he would come in my room sit down on my bed and stroke my hair. It sounds like such a stupid thing to do to an eighteen year old, but I needed it. After I scream into my pillow, I stare up at the white empty ceiling trying extremely hard not to stare at the picture framed on my wall of Lucy and I on our 5th grade trip to the space museum. It was my favorite picture because in it she was the most stunning. Sure she was 10, but she loved the way the stars shone down from the ceiling and I loved the way smiled. I laugh a little out loud remembering my face from the picture and not actually looking at itbecause I still wasn't strong enough. My little 11 year old face had a smile on it from ear to ear. At the angle of the picture it looks like I was also looking up at the stars, but I wasn't. I was looking at her, I've always been looking at her. But now, I was staring up at a blank wall, yet all I wanted was to have her sleeping me next to me again. I messed up though, I let her die. I let an amazing, beautiful life leave this earth, and now I will forever be broken.

My heart hurt as I looked over and saw the clock read 6 o'clock. I was used to wasting three hours just thinking about her. Then, the rest of the day was half thinking about her half trying keep on living. I tried to quit school but my pops didn't let me, neither did Gray or Gajeel. I got up and walked towards the restroom where I didn't dare turn on the light. A week after the incident, I turned on the rest room light and looked at myself in the mirror and I hated the person who I saw, the monster who hurt Lucy. I clenched my fist and hit the mirror as hard as I could, then screamed out in pain. Whether I had screamed out in pain from the glass shards in my hand or my broken heart I didn't know. My dad came rushing in and ran my hand under the sink. I begged him not to take me to the hospital, because she was there. I sat at the kitchen table with my head resting on it as my dad picked out the pieces of glass piece by piece.

"Son," he said, "you can't do this to yourself. She wouldn't want you to be like this she would want you to be so happy. It hurts to have lost her, I know that more than anyone. It'll take time but I know you'll find the strength inside you to keep going."

I finished getting dressed and brushed my teeth in the dark. I wore a black t- shirt and dark jeans. That was what I wore almost everyday, except some days I ran out of black so I went for dark grey. People said I mourned too much, so I told them to shut the fuck up. I went downstairs and met my dad by the door. Everyday for the past three weeks and five days, he's been giving me a long hug with a pat on the back and he sends me on my way. I don't care how old I am, I need them.

I started my walk to school. I leave early so I have enough time to make it. The last time I was in a car by myself I was driving away from hurting her. Suddenly, a rain drop hits my nose. It's cold outside so I put my hood on and let the rain wash over me. Losing my best friend and the girl I love, it feels like losing a part of myelf. She was so so beautiful and- no Natsu. Stop. Stop because the rain can only hide your tears for so long. I sighed loudly when I felt the phone vibrate in my pocket. It was Levy.

"Natsu, ditch 1st period and meet me by the fountain, you know the spot. - Levy"

What the hell? No one has talked to me about Lucy or anything to do with us and now suddenly Levy thinks its okay? Well it's not. That's where Lucy and I ate together, it was OUR spot. How dare she... I'm not ready to be there again, but maybe its time. I continued on my walk to school letting my gloominess consume me once again.

Lucy's P.O.V

"Lucy! Oh my gosh you're okay its great to see that you're okay. When Sting called me I was so surprised your dad said it you had a 80% of not making it and we hadn't heard anything in so long, how are you standing right now and hows your head?"

I hugged her tightly, and felt like crying. I hated putting my friends through this, even if it was my dad who had started the lies.

"I'm alright, but I really need your help. Sting told you on the phone I didn't actually jump and it's true. I was drunk and I slipped and-"

"Oh that explains the burnt on blanket and why my reserve bottle of vodka was no longer in its place."

I laughed a little, "yeah well, I was having a rough day. Anyway, I need to see Natsu, he needs to know I'm alive!"

She looked grim at mentioning his name, "Lucy, he fill apart at the seams. He doesn't talk to anyone, he sits in the back of the class, he eats little to nothing, he misses you. I hope it's not too late to help him because he hasn't been okay for a while."

"Right, and that's why I need you, so here's the plan."

We continued talking for a while until we figured out what we were going to do.

"Lucy, are you sure this is going to work?"

"Yup. If he's really depressed then he won't want to meet anywhere else. Bringing up something that was special to us will strike a chord with him."


	11. Don't Screw It Up This Time

Normal P.O.V.

Lucy was nervous as the first period bell rang, meaning Natsu was on his way to see her. She stood directly behind it with Levy and Sting. They all looked really nervous, plus it was hard to get her there without anyone seeing her but they had done it.

"How do I look?" asked Lucy clearly anxious.

"If Natsu didn't already have dibs on you, I would have taken you out already. You look great," Sting said with a wink and Levy playfully nudged him.

"Guys what if he's still mad at me? I don't think I can handle him telling me he doesn't love me again!

Levy hugged her carefully and reassured Lucy.

"Lucy he loves you and everyone but you has seen it except you. And once you see it, everything will come together!"

The plan was that once Natsu got close him and Levy would run away and then Lucy would come out. They hoped with all their might that this would work.

On the other side of campus, Natsu walked and bumped shoulder I as we made his way through the hall. The bell rang and he shut his locker and headed towards where he was supposed to meet Levy. He reached the edge of the grass but didn't dare take another step. If he did this all the feelings would rush back and hit him like a truck was he ready?

Suddenly, he saw Levy emerge from behind and when she saw him, he called him over. He walked over casually to her, and since the fountain was so big, he didn't see Lucy or Sting.

"Hey Natsu!"

Natsu only gave her half a smile and a wave as he got closer. Finally as he approached, the water fountain, Levy nodded towards Sting and they took off running.

Natsu was shocked and didn't understand where Sting came from and why he was here, this was all his fault anyway!

"Levy, what the hell?! Get back here, why'd you make me come here? Fuck!" He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair and he walked right past Lucy as he tried to catch up to those two idiots. He didn't even see her.

"Oh Natsu, hot-headed as always I see"

He froze in his step. Her voice, that was her voice. Was he hallucinating? His blood raced through his body as he turned around, and there she was. Beautiful long blonde hair, big shining brown eyes, and a sweet sweet smile.

His voice shook, he was on the brink of tears.

"L-Luc-yy? How I-I don't, but you... you were dead , how are you here I don- Unf!"

She ran up and hugged him tightly practically jumping into his arms. At first he didn't register that it was really her, and then, he did. He wrapped his arms around her, picked her up and spun her around. His knees were weak but he found the strength to stand in order to keep holding her. He breathed in the scent of her hair and nuzzled her head as his tears fell.

"Luce, its really you... I've missed you," he sobbed, "I've missed you so much"

She cried too, to see him like that, to actually feel how much he's needed her it made her heart swell.

"I've missed you too, I'm sorry about everything I really am. My dad is an idiot he never should have told you that. Natsu, I'm so so sorry."

He didn't let her go not even for a second, well not until her body finally gave out. Being out an about after one day of being out of the hospital would take it's toll. She winced as she felt the pain medication fading away.

"Luce what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, really. I've still been in the hospital this whole time I just woke up today."

He looked upset to hear this. "You what?!"

She rolled up her pant leg and showed him her ankle with the brace. She then rolled up her sweater and showed him her wrapped up arm. Lastly she lifted up her shirt nervously and showed him her ribs, and the bruises around her neck.

"Lucy, are you insane?! What are you doing out like this and I mean I'm so so happy to see you but you can't do this. Plus it's raining you're going to get sick, we have to get you back to the hospital!"

He lifted her up bridal style and she nuzzled into his neck. He felt the blood hot in his cheeks. He carried her inside the building where they sat on a bench as he talked on the phone.

"My dad is coming and he's taking you back but I won't leave you, I promise."

She looked up at him lovingly and looked at his lips because this time, she wasn't going to hold back. He looked down at her and knew he was blushing. After all this time, he finally knew what he wanted to do. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. This made her jump a little and now she was blushing too. He went in closer, and their lips met. At first it was soft and delicate but then their hunger took over. They kissed like they were making up for the lost time and they only stopped once they heard a little cough from someone in front of them. They separated and realized they weren't looking at one person, they were looking at all their friends. Levy had gotten everyone to ditch class! And Gray was the first one to speak.

"So... are you guys like, a thing now?"

Lucy laughed and Natsu looked over at her and smiled. Oh her laugh, to hear it again. He placed his hand on her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss once more as the first period bell rang. The hallways erupted in cheers, and everyone gathered round to hug Lucy and tell her how happy they were she was alive. Of course, there were many questions to be answered so she just told everyone the story as quickly as possible. Finally, Natsu's dad got there and it was time for them to leave.

"I love you all so much, it was great to see you. Once I recover I should be back here finishing up school and getting ready to graduate, see you soon!"

As they got in the car and drove away he made sure he had her attention.

"Lucy I don't want to mess up again and not tell you how I feel. So I need you to know something. You are my 2 am," he swallowed," You're the one I want to call at 2 am and no matter what, I can count on you. Even if you're asleep or it's pouring rain outside or if I need to be bailed out of jail I know you'd be there. Lucy, I love you."

"I love you too, Natsu. So, so much." She said through tears of joy.

"Luce let me protect you again," he said completely wholeheartedly.

"Hmmm... Well, alright. Okay, just don't screw up this time."

They laughed together as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"That was really sweet son." said Igneel wiping the tears from his.

"Dad, you're embarrassing me!"

* * *

 **EPILOGUE**

The car ride to the hospital was short but Lucy's recovery time was even shorter. She was out with a couple of days and Natsu didn't leave her side for a second (Well there was one day he had promised Gray they would go to a baseball game so Levy was more than happy to step in). They continued their senior year together along side their friends. Sting thought it would be the for the best if he moved back to be with his family and Lisanna ended up being okay with the whole thing. She was never one to try to tear anyone apart, plus her and the new guy warren were really hitting it off. And before they knew it, graduation day was upon them.

Names were being called left and right for diplomas.

"Natsu Dragneel!"

His group of friends including Lucy all got up and did the wave for him.

More of their friends names were called and finally it was Lucy's turn.

"Lucy Heartfilia!"

Again, all the friends cheered for her except for Natsu who stayed standing.

"I love you Luce!" He shouted as loud as he could.

She recieved her diploma, blew a kiss at him while having the biggest smile on her face.

As the rest of summer flew by them, they soon found themselves a their first day of college. As usual Natsu and Lucy ate lunch together every monday and he came over to watch disney movies once a week. He also walked her to her classes except this time, there was always a kiss involves. And so, they continued into their college years, living happily ever after.

 **THE END**


End file.
